Buffing machine



June 26, 1934. R. E DUPLESSIS BUFFING MACHINE Filed Oct. 17, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l June 26, 1934. R. E. DUPLESSIS BUFFING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 17, 1929 m8 Fl' g2.

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June 26, 1934. R. E. DUPLESSIS BUFFING MACHINE Filed Oct. 17, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Wlbrrl! Fig. 5. 2

//\/ VENTUR June 26, 1934. R. E. DUPLESSIS 1,964,043

BUFFING MACHINE Filed Oct. 17, 1929 Fig. 4}

' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 26, 1934 UNE'E'ED STATES PATENT QFFECE BUFFING MACHINE Application October 17,

18 Claims.

This invention relates to buffing machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for buffing articles of leather or similar sheet material such, for example, as toe stiffeners and counters, which may or may not have skived margins, soles and the like.

For buffing articles of the general character above referred to, machines of the type illustrated in United States Letters Patent No. 1,078,- 050, granted November 11, 1913 upon an application of E. E. Lane, have been employed. In machines of the type illustrated in the abovementioned Letters Patent the work is fed between a pair of rolls one of which is covered with abrasive material and the other of which has a yielding surface and functions both to press the work against the abrading roll and also to feed the work. A flat plate having its end beveled in order to permit the plate to extend as close to the bite of the rolls as possible is provided for pressing the work against the feed roll, and in the case of skived work for embedding the work into the yielding surface of the feed roll in order to present a substantially flat surface of the work to the abrading roll.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine which is capable of buffing not only flat work, but also skived articles of the character above indicated. In carrying out this object I have provided a feed belt for effecting the passage of work past an abrading tool. In accordance with a feature of the invention, there is provided also a guide plate for supporting the work after its passage past the abrading tool, and a presser roll constructed and arranged to cause the feed belt to press the work against both the abrading tool and the guide plate. In the illustrated machine not only one but a plurality of rolls are employed to cause the feed belt to exert pressure upon the work, with provision for the adjustment of one of the presser rolls independently of the others toward and from a stationary work support. This arrangement of the presser rolls insures a substantially positive action of the feed belt upon the work notwithstanding the fact that the direction of travel of the abrading tool may, as in the case of the illustrated machine, be opposed to the direction of feed of the work. Another feature of the invention consists in the employment of an abrading tool in the form of an abrasive-covered belt looped over a roll which extends crosswise of a hollow frame, the frame being constructed and arranged to support both ends of the roll from one side of the frame to facilitate 1929, Serial No. 400,417

the removal and replacement of the abrasive belt through an opening in the opposite side of the frame, which opening is normally covered by a plate constructed and arranged to afford additional support for the roll. The frame of the illustrated machine is connected to an exhaust blower, and the frame itself, by reason of its construction as above described, functions as a dust hood for the abrasive belt.

These and other features of the invention including certain details of construction and combinations of parts will be set forth in connection with an illustrative machine and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a bufiing machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of the upper portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the lower portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a feed belt used in the machine shown in the above-mentioned figures; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a skived counter after being buffed by the machine.

The supporting structure of the illustrated machine comprises a hollow base 10 upon which is secured a hollow frame 12. The abrading mstrumentality of the machine comprises an abrading belt 14 which in the illustrated machine consists of fabric coated with an abrasive material in the nature of emery and which runs around an upper driven roll 16 and a lower idler roll 18. The body of the upper roll 16 consists of metal having a cover 20 of rubber. The upper roll 16 is mounted on a shaft 22 which is journaled in right and left-hand (as viewed from the front) roller bearings 24 and 26 respectively (Fig. 2). The right-hand bearing 24 has a flange 28 whereby the bearing 24 is secured to a boss 30 upon the right-hand side of the frame 12. The left-hand bearing 26 is mounted upon the left-hand end of an arm 32 which extends across the interior of the frame 12 from the right-hand side of the frame 12 and which has a vertical stiffening flange 34. The reason for providing the arm 32 and for mounting the bearing 26 upon the lefthand end of it rather than upon the left-hand side of the frame 12 is that the illustrated construction permits ready removal and replacement of the abrasive belt 14 over the left-hand end of the roll 16. The left-hand side wall of the frame 12 does not extend all the way up the left-hand side of the frame but terminates a short distance above the roll 18 to permit the removal and replacement of the belt 14 through this side of the frame. The portion of the left-hand side of the frame 12 which thus remains open is normally closed by a cover plate 36. The cover plate 36 has a pair of downwardly exten ing lugs 38 which bear against the inside lower edge of the opening in the frame 12 to retain the lower edge of the cover plate 36 in place. The upper portion of the cover plate 36 carries a spring-pressed plunger 46 which engages an undercut surface of a cap 42 upon the left-hand end of the bearing 26 to hold the upper portion of the cover plate 36 in place until it can be more firmly secured by means now to be described. An inwardly extending boss 44 (Fig. 4) is formed on the cover plate 36 at the upper portion thereof. The boss 44 is bored to receive a pin 46. The front and rear walls of the frame 12 are notched to receive the pin 46, and nuts 48 are threaded upon the ends respectively of the pin 46 and bear respectively upon bosses formed on the front and rear walls of the frame 12, thus holding the pin 46 and the cover plate 36 securely. The web 34 is notched to receive the pin 46, which thus assists in providing vertical support for the bearing 26, while the boss 44 is notched to receive the web 34, thereby holding the end of the arm 32 and the bearing 26 from sidewise whipping movement. The cover plate 36 fits closely in the opening provided for it and has a stiffening flange 50 adjacent to its sides. By reason of this construction, the cover plate is enabled to provide a material amount of support for the bearing 26, and thus to assist in assuring cool running of this bearing.

The lower roll 18 is formed of metal and is concave, as shown in Fig. 3, the end portions of this roll having a greater diameter than the middle portion in order to take up the stretch in the abrading belt 14, such stretch being greateadjacent to the edges of the belt than at the middle. The concave form of the roll 18 also serves to overcome any tendency which the abrading belt 14 might otherwise manifest to travel first toward one end of the roll 18 and then toward the other end. The roll 18 is mounted upon a shaft 51 which rotates in bearings 52 and 54 positioned res ectively at the left and right ends of the shaft 51. In order to permit ready removal and replacement of the roll 18 when it is desired to change the abrading belt 14, the earings 52 and 54 are not secured to any portion of the frame 12. The roll 18, the shaft 51 and the bearings 52 and 54 when. assembled constitute a unitary structure which is supported by the abrading belt 14. For tensioning the abrading belt 14 and for positioning the roll 18 in alinement with the roll 16, a yoke 56 (Fig. 4) is provided. Upon the left and righthand ends respectively of the yoke 56 are formed arc-shaped members 53 and (Figs. 3 and 4) which engage the bearings 52 and 54 respectively to prevent longitudinal, lateral and upward movement of the roll 18. Each of the members 53 and 55 is an arm in the form of a hook having an opening for receiving one of the bearings 52 and 54, the opening of each. book being directed away from the upper roll to enable the hooks to support the bearings aga 1st movement toward the upper roll 16 under the influence of tension in the abrading belt To prevent rotation of the bearings 52 and 54, each of the members and 55 carries a pin 5'7 (Fig. 4) which extends parallel to the shaft 51 and which is received between a pair of up standing cars 59 formed on each of the bearings 52 and 54. To permit removal of the bearings from the l .embers 53 and 55, the yoke 56 is pivoted for up-and-down movement upon a pin 56. Upon upward movement of the yoke 56 a distance sufcient for the members 53 and 55 to clear the bearings 52 and 54 respectively, the assembly comprising the roll 18, the shaft 51 and the bearings 52 and 54 may be swung forward in the lower loop of the abrading belt 14 and may then be removed through the above-mentioned opening in the frame 12. The pin 58 is carried by a pair of ears 60 extending rearwardly from a plate 62 which has a central opening to accommodate the yoke 56 and which fits against a boss 64 on the rear wall of the frame 12. A cylindrical opening is formed in the boss 64, and the plate 32- a cylindrical flange which fits within this cylindrical opening. By reason of this construction the plate 62 and, therefore, the roll 18 may be rotated about the of the cylindrical opening in the boss 64 to adjust the axis of the roll 18 parallel to the axis of the roll 16. The plate 62 has a pair of oppositely disposed arcuatc slots 66 concentric with the axis of the cylindrical opening of the boss 64, and a pair of bolts 68 which are threaded into holes formed in the boss 64 extend respectively through the slots 66. Clamping nuts 70 upon the ends of the bolts 68 respectively serve to hold the plate 62 in adjusted position. A spring '72 is provided for maintaining tension in the abrasive belt 14. The upper end of the spring 72 is secured by a pin 74 to a lug on the yoke 56, while the lower end of the spring 72 is secured to a pin 76 which is mounted eccentrically upon a collar 8 on the rear end of a shaft 80 journaled in bearings 82 supported by the frame 12. The forward end of the shaft 86 extends outside of the front wall of the frame 12 and carries a handle 84. Upon rotation of the handle 84 in clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, the pin 76 is carried downward to tension the spring 72; and a stop pin 86 is sc cured in the front wall of the frame 12 in a position to engage the handle 84 when the pin 76 has been rotated a short distance beyond its lower dead center. The tension of the spring '72 thereupon serves to hold the handle 84 against the stop 86 and thus to prevent relaxing of the spring tension by further movement of the pin '76 in a clockwise direction. The tension of the spring 72 may be released, when it is desired to raise the yoke 56 to permit removal of the roll 18, by rotating the handle 84 in a counterclockwise direction far enough to bring the pin 76 back again past its lower dead center. The spring 72 together ith its controlling mechanism as above described constitutes a snap-acting device for tensionlng the roll 18.

For feeding work past the roll 16, which together with the abrasive belt 14 constitutes an abrading tool, a feed belt 88 (Fig. 4) is provided. The body of the belt 88 consists of moderately soft rubber to the inner surface of which is bonded tape 90, as shown in Fig. 5. The belt 88 is made by wrapping the tape 90, which is first gum-dipped scribed construction avoids the line of weakness and also of double thickness which would result upon joining the ends of a continuous piece of fabric; furthermore, the tape is much stronger for its thickness than any other type of fabric.

The feed belt 88 runs around an idler roll 92, which is positioned at the front of the machine a substantial distance in advance of the vertical center line of the roll 16, and a driven roll 94 at the rear of the machine, the rolls 92 and 94 both being composed of metal. The driven roll 94 is mounted on a shaft 96 journaled in bearings which are formed respectively in a pair of arms 100 which extend rearwardly from the upper portions of the sides of the frame 12 and which are stiffened by ribs 102. The idler roll 92 is mounted on a shaft 93 journaled in the forward end of a yoke-shaped frame 104, the rear end of which frame has bearings (Fig. 2) for the shaft 96, the frame 104 thus being pivotally mounted upon the shaft 96. Such pivotal mounting of the frame 104 not only permits up-anddown adjustment of the frame 104 to effect the desired degree of pressure of the feed belt 88 upon 5 Work which is to be treated, but also permits the frame 104 to be swung upwardly a substantial distance to effect a wide separation between the instrumentalities carried by the frame 104 and the roll 16, thereby affording access to the roll 16 for the purpose of removing a worn abrading belt 14 and replacing it with a new belt. For tensioning the feed belt 88, a roll 106 is positioned beneath the lower run of the feed belt. The tensioning roll 106 is journaled in a carrier frame 108 which is pivotally mounted at 110 upon a cross member 112 carried by the forward portion of the frame 104. The rear portion of the frame 104 carries a cross member 114 having formed therein a boss 116 which is bored, but not threaded, to receive an adjusting bolt 118. The rear portion of the tension roll carrier frame carries a cross arm 120 having formed therein a boss 122 having a slot 124. A pair of spaced blocks 126 travel in the slot 124, and the lower end of the bolt 118 extends between the blocks 126 and is pivotally connected thereto by a pin 128. A knurled adjusting nut 130 is threaded upon the upper portion of the bolt 118 and bears against the upper surface of the boss 116. It is evident that rotation of the nut 130 in a direction to raise the bolt 118 will serve to raise the tensioning roll 106 and thereby tighten the feed belt 88, and that rotation of the nut 130 in the reverse direction will serve to slacken the feed belt. The above-described slot 124, blocks 126 and pivot 128 accommodate the component of movement of the cross arm 120 which is transverse to the bolt 118 as the tensioning roll carrier frame 108 rotates about the pivot pin 110. For retaining the feed belt 88 against transverse movement, a pair of pins 132 is mounted in the frame 108 upon opposite sides respectively of the feed belt. On each of the pins 132 is a pair of rolls 134 for engaging the edges respectively of the upper and lower runs of the feed belt 88.

For holding work against the abrading belt 14 as the latter passes over the roller 16, a presser roll 136 is positioned to engage the upper surface of the lower run of the feed belt 88 at a point which is a short distance to the rear of the vertical center line of the roll 16. The presser roll 136 is journaled in a carrier frame 138 which is pivotally mounted upon the shaft 93, and each side of the frame 104 has formed thereon a boss 140 having an arcuate slot concentric with the shaft 93. Clamping bolts 142 extend respectively through these arcuate slots and are threaded into the opposite sides respectively of the carrier frame 138. The bolts 142 have heads 144 (Fig. 2) which, upon being rotated to tighten the bolts 142, bear against the bosses 140 respectively and thereby maintain the presser roll 136 in any desired position of adjustment up or down with respect to the frame 104.

To provide for holding the forward end of the frame 104 down to maintain the feed belt 88 in its operative position, an upstanding yoke 146 is pivotally mounted upon a pair of pins 148, each pin 148 being carried by a pair of spaced ears 150 extending forwardly from the upper portion of the front wall of the frame 12. Each arm of the yoke 146 has a boss which is bored to receive one of the pins 148 and which extends between one of the pairs of cars 150. Threaded into a boss in the middle of the yoke 146 is an upstanding bolt 152 having a hand-wheel 154. A pair of spaced collars 156 is secured upon the shank of the bolt 152. Formed upon the forward portion of the cross member 112 of the frame 104 is a pair of spaced ears 158 between which may be received the shank of the bolt 152. One of the ears 158 has formed therein a hollow boss 160 (Fig. 1) which contains a spring-pressed retaining plunger for holding the bolt 152 between the ears 158. The collars 156 bear respectively against the upper and lower edges of the ears 158 and thus hold the frame 104 against movement. The frame 104, and thereby the feed belt 88, may be adjusted up or down by rotating the handwheel 154 in the appropriate direction; and a lock nut 162 is provided for maintaining the frame 104 in its adjusted position. The frame 104 may be released by swinging the bolt 154 and the yoke 146 forwardly, the spring-pressed retaining plunger in the boss 160 yielding to permit such release. Forward movement of the yoke 146 is limited by a depending lug 163 (Fig. 2) integral with the yoke 146 and adapted to engage a boss formed on the front Wall of the frame 12.

For driving the abrading belt 14 and the feed belt 88 a motor 164 (Figs. 1 and 3), secured to a bracket extending from the rear of the base 10, i provided. The motor 164 is controlled by a switch 165 mounted on the frame 12 (Fig. 2). Upon the shaft of the motor 164 is a pulley 166, and upon the shaft'22 is a pulley 168 (Fig. 1). A belt 170 runs over the pulleys 166 and 168, thereby driving the shaft 22. The right-hand end of the shaft 22 extends out beyond the bearing 24 and carries a worm 1'72 (Fig. 2). The righthand end of the shaft 96 extends out beyond the right-hand bearing 98 and carries a worm Wheel 1'74 (Figs. 1 and 2). A housing 176 encloses the worm 1'72 and the worm wheel 1'74 and also has bearings for a shaft 1'78, the lower and forward end of the housing 1'76 being bolted to the frame 12 through the flange 28 (Fig. 2) and the upper and rear end being bolted directly to the frame 12. The forward end of the shaft 178 carries a worm wheel 180 which meshes with the worm 1'72, and the rear end of the shaft 1'78 carries a worm 182 which meshes with the worm wheel 1'74. The housing 1'76 is provided with a removable cap 184 to enable the worm wheel 180 to be inserted upon assembling, and with a removable cap 186 to enable the Worm wheel 174 and the worm 182 to be insert-ed upon assembling. The feed belt drive shaft 96 is driven by the abrading belt drive shaft 22 and at a much slower speed than the abrading belt drive shaft 22 through the worm 1'72, the

worm wheel 180, the shaft 178, the worm 182 and the worm wheel 174. It is evident that the abovedescribed train of driving mechanism will cause the belt 88 to be driven in a clockwise direction if the abrading belt 14 is driven in a clockwise direction, and in a counterclockwise direction if the abrasive belt 14 is driven in a counterclockwise direction. The motor 164 always rotates, however, in a direction to cause both the feed and the abrading belts to be driven counterclockwise, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4.

Instrumentalities which will now be described are provided for supporting work and for co-operating with the feed belt 88 in feeding the work past the abrading belt 14 as the latter passes over the roll 16. A work-presenting plate or table 188 (Fig. 4) having its upper surface substantially horizontal is positioned at the front of the machine and extends rearwardly, the upper surface of the table 188 being very nearly tangent but slightly below the highest point of the abrading belt 14. The rear edge of the plate 188 is beveled to accommodate the roll 16 and belt 14, the upper surface of the plate 188 extending as close as possible, allowing for reasonable clearance, to the belt 14. The plate 188 is secured by clamping bolts 190 to a bracket 192. Slots are provided in the plate 188 for the bolts 190 to permit the plate 188 to be adjusted toward or from the abrading belt 14. The bracket 192 has formed in it a pair of vertical slot" 194 (Fig. 2) through which extend respectively clamping bolts 196 whereby the bracket 192 is adjustably secured to the front wall of the frame 12. The heads of the bolts 196 when the bolts are tightened bear respectively upon elongated washers 198 which extend across the slots 194 and which bear against the outer surfaces respectively of bosses which surround the slots 194. The bracket 192 may be removed by loosening the bolts 196 and giving the washers 198 a quarter turn. Light springs 200 around the belts 196 respectively prevent the washers 198 from being pushed inwardly when the bracket 192 is being assembled upon the machine. A pair of upstanding adjusting bolts 202 are threaded respectively through a pair of lugs 204 extending from the front wall of the frame 12. The upper ends of the bolts 202 bear against the lower edge of the bracket 192. Upon loosening the clamping bolts 196, any desired position of vertical adjustment of the bracket 192 and thereby of the work table 188 may be obtained by appropriate manipulation of the adjusting bolts 202. Each of the adjusting bolts 202 is provided with a lock nut 206 to maintain it in desired position.

A substantially horizontal grid 208 (Fig. 4) is positioned rearwardly of the roll 22 for receiving work which has been buffed by the abrading belt 14. The grid 208 is secured to a horizontal extension 210 of the frame 12 by four clamping bolts 212, two of the bolts 212 being positioned adjacent to one side of the grid 208 and the other two adjacent to the other side. Each of the bolts 212 passes through a slot formed in the grid 208 to provide for adjustment of the grid 208 toward and from the abrading belt 14 as the latter passes over the roll 16. A forward extension of the grid 208 carries a pair of inwardly extending pins 214 upon which is pivotally mounted a frame 216. A guide or stripper plate 218 is rigidly secured to the frame 216 and extends forwardly with a slight downward inclination toward the roll 16, its purpose being to prevent the leading edge of the work from curving down against the abrading belt 14. A small idler roll 220 is journaled in the frame 216 just to the rear of the stripper plate 218 and in a position to receive work passing from the stripper plate 218 and to support the work against the feed belt 88. For adjusting the vertical inclination of the stripper plate 218, the frame 216 is provided at each end with a lug 222 against which bears the end of an adjusting screw 224 threaded through the adjacent side of the grid 208. The weight of the stripper plate 218 and the pressure of Work passing over it serve to maintain the lugs 222 in engagement respectively with the adjusting screws 224. By turning the screws 224 in the appropriate direction, the forward edge of the stripper plate may be adjusted up or down; and by loosening the clamping bolts 212 the grid 208 may be adjusted forwardly or rearwardly to effect the desired amount of horizontal clearance between the abrading belt 14 and the forward edge of the stripper plate 218. Each side of the grid 208 has a rearward extension 226 to which may be secured a chute (not shown) for delivering finished work. The extensions 226 serve also to support the frame 104 when the latter is swung upwardly about the shaft 96, the ends of the extensions 226 engaging the cross arm 114.

Provision is made for the disposal of dust which arises as a result of the action of the abrading belt 14 upon the work. An opening 228 is formed in the lower portion of the left-hand side wall of the frame 12 for receiving the end of a draft conduit (not shown) of a suction dust-collecting system. The interior of the frame 12 thus constitutes a draft conduit, and the frame 12 is designed with a view to preventing loss of draft. The previously mentioned opening in the plate 62 is not large enough to have any appreciable effect in weakening the suction in the interior of the frame 12. The recess in the frame 12 (Fig. 1) through which the belt 1'70 passes is closed by a rear wall 230 and by a side wall 232 (Fig. 2) both of which walls are integral with the frame 12. The interior of the frame 12 is thus effectively sealed from the recess which accommodates the belt 170. Beneath the roll 18 and integral with the frame 12 is a bottom wall 234 (Fig. 3) which converges in the manner of a funnel toward the outlet opening 228, thus serving as a hopper for delivering dust to the outlet opening and also closing the interior of the frame 12 from below.

The spring '72 (Fig. 3) passes through an opening in the bottom wall 234; because, however, of the relatively small'size of this opening, it has substantially no effect in weakening the force of the suction within the interior of the frame 12. Slots (not shown) are formed in the work table 188 to permit any dust upon the surface of the work table to be drawn into the interior of the frame 12.

In the operation of the machine, a piece of work W, for example a skived counter, is placed upon the work table 188 and is fed by the operator to the feed belt 88. The work W is pressed by the resilient material of the belt 88 against the work table 188 and is carried by the rearward travel of the lower run of the belt 88 along the smooth upper surface of the work table 188 toward the roll 16. The pressure between the work table 188 and the feed belt 88 is adjusted by manipulation of the hand-wheel 154 to a degree sufiicient to em ed the work W into the belt 88, so

that the relatively thick central portion of the IL work W is pressed more deeply into the belt 88 than are the skived marginal portions, and the under surface of the work W lies flat against the work table 188 and remains substantially in a fiat condition as the work W is carried into enl gageinent with the abrading belt 14. The distance between the feed belt idler roll 92 and the work table 188 is adjusted by manipulation of the hand wheel 154 to develop the most efficient degree of pressure through the Work W betweenthe feed belt 88 and the work table 188, such adjustment depending upon the thickness of the work W. As previously stated, the feed belt 88 and the abrading belt 14 run counterclockwise. The work-engaging portions of these belts, therefore, travel respectively in opposite directions; in other words, the abrading belt 14 travels in a direction opposite to the direction of. feed of the work W, with the resulting advantage of throwing the dust occasioned by the abrading operation away from the finished portion of the work W and leaving this portion relatively free of dust, so that no brushing, beating or other cleaning operation upon the finished work is necessary. The major portion of the dust passes through the clearance space between the work table 188 and the abrading belt 14 and thence down into the interior of the frame 12 and out through the opening 228. It will be noted that the feed belt 88 exerts its influence upon the work W by engaging the work W over a substantial length in the direction of feed. The fact that at any given instant a considerably greater portion of the work W is held between the feed belt 88 and the work table 188 than is in contact with the abrading belt 14 insures the feeding of the work W past the abrading belt 14, notwithstanding that the travel of the abrading belt 14 is opposed to the direction of feed of the work W.

Pressure between the work W and the abrading belt 14 as the work W advances is maintained by the presser roll 136. As previously stated, the presser roll 136 is positioned not directly over the roll 16 but a short distance beyond the vertical center line of the roll 16. An advantage of this construction resides in the fact that it results in imparting a softer and more resilient character to the pressure exerted by the feed belt 88 upon the work than would be the case if the roll 136 were positioned directly over the roll 16. A further advantage of the above-described construction resides in the fact that it insure-s a gripping pressure between the feed belt 88 and the stripper plate 218 which enables the feed belt 88 to feed the work W past the abrading belt 14 after the trailing end of the work W has left the work plate 188. It will be noted that the presser roll 136 is not journa'led directly in the frame 104 but is journaled in the carrier frame 138 which is pivotally mounted on the frame 104 in such a manner as to permit up-anddown adjustment of the presser roll 136 independently of the feed belt idler roll 92. Such independence is desirable because of the fact that the most advantageous adjustment of the idler roll 92 with respect to the work table 188 for exerting a feeding pressure upon the work W may not always coincide with the most desirable adjustment of the presser roll 136 for pressing the work W against the abrading belt 14. Furthermore, since the frame 104 is pivotally adjustable about the shaft 96 and since the radial distances of the rolls 92 and 136 from the shaft 96 are unequal, an adjustment of the frame 104 will raise or lower the rolls 92and 136 unequal distances. By the above-described provision for independent adjustment of the roll 135, this inequality may be compensated whenever desired. Upon pass ing the stripper plate 218, the work is gripped between the feed belt 88 and the idler roll 220 and is thus advanced to the grid 208, whence it may be allowed to drop into any suitable receptacle or into a delivery chute. It will be noted that the work plate or table 188, the stripper plate 218 and the roll 220 all function to support the workagainst the feed belt 88 and thereby cooperate with the feed belt in advancing the work with respect to the abrading tool. As above stated, the work W is sufiiciently "'ree of dust after passing the abrading belt 14 to render any subsequent brushing or beating operation unnecessary. Such particles of dust as may adhere to the work W after passing the abrading belt 14 will be shaken off as the work passes the stripper plate 218 and the small idler roll 220, and particularly as the work W drops down upon the grid 208. The suction within the frame 12 gives rise to a draft at the above-mentioned points where dust will be shaken off, and this dust is thereby carried down into the frame 12 and thence through the outlet opening 208.

In Fig. 6 is shown the work piece W, a skived counter, after treatment by the machine. The relatively thick central portion has been more deeply embedded in the rubber feed belt 88 than have the relatively thin marginal portions, with the result that the surface of the work has been treated uniformly all over and the ridge between the skived and unskived portions of the work piece W has been obliterated without, however, removing substantially more material from the central portion than from the edges. From the foregoing description, the operation of the machine upon toe stiifeners and other skived articles, and upon fiat work such as soles, will be readily understood.

When it is desired to renew the abrading belt 14, the bolt 152 is pulled forward to release the frame 104, and the frame 104 together with the various instrumentalities which it carries is swung upwardly about the shaft 96 until the cross arm 114 rests on the arms 226 of the grid 208. The work table 188 is then removed, after unscrewing the clamping bolts 190. The grid 208 need not be removed, but the stripper plate 218 is swung up and back, away from the roll 16. The cover plate 36 is then removed, and the tension of the spring 72 is released by swinging up the handle 84. The yoke 56 is raised sufficiently to release the bearings 52 and 54 from the arc-shaped memhere 53 and 55 respectively; and the assembly constituting the roll 18, the shaft 51 and the bearings 52 and 54 ismoved forward to enable the bearings 52 and 54 to clear the members 53 and 55, the roll assembly then being lifted out of the lower loop of the abrading belt 14 and removed through the open left-hand side of the frame 12. The abrading belt 14 is then lifted over the bearing 25 and removed through the open left-hand side of the frame 12. The replacing of the worn abrading belt by a new one is accomplished by reversing the procedure above described.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An abrading machine comprising an abrading tool, an endless feed member constructed and arranged to advance work past said abrading tool by frictional engagement with the work, a plurality of positively supported presser members constructed and arranged by engagement with said feed member to cause said feed member to exert pressure upon the work, and relatively stationary means out of contact with said abrading tool for supporting the work against the pressure of said feed member, one of said presser members being constructed and arranged for adjustment independently of another of said presser members toward and from said stationary work supporting means to vary the pressure which said presser member causes said feed member to exert upon the work.

2. An abrading machine comprising an abrading tool, an endless feed member constructed and arranged to advance work past said abrading tool by frictional engagement with the work, a plurality of rolls within said endless feed member for causing said feed member to exert pressure upon the work, stationary means engageable with the work for supporting the work against the pressure thus exerted, and positive support ing means for said rolls constructed and arranged to permit one of said rolls to be adjusted independently of another to vary the pressure exerted by said feed member upon the work.

3. An abrading machine comprising an abrading tool, a feed belt having a continuous surface constructed and arranged to advance work past said abrading tool by frictional engagement with the work, a movable carrier frame for said feed belt, a plurality of rolls carried by said frame for causing said feed belt to exert pressure upon the work, stationary means engageable with the work for supporting the work against the pressure thus exerted, and means for securing said frame in an operative position, said securing means being positive with respect to said work supporting means and adjustable toward and from said stationary work supporting means to vary the pressure which said rolls cause said feed belt to exert upon the work,

4. An abrading machine comprising an abrading tool, an endless feed member constructed and arranged to advance work past said abrading tool by frictional engagement with the work, a carrier frame for said feed belt, a plurality of rolls carried by said frame for causing said feed memher to exert pressure upon the work, stationary means engageable with the work for supporting the work against the pressure thus exerted, means for securing said frame in an operative position with respect to said abrading tool, said securing means being adjustable to vary the pressure which said rolls cause said feed member to exert upon the work, and adjustable means interposed between one of said rolls and said frame for controlling positively with respect to said work supporting means the operative position of said one roll independently of the other rolls.

5. In a buifing machine, a stationary main frame, an abrading tool, a feed belt for advancing work past said abrading tool, means for supporting the work against said feed belt, a pair of rolls upon which said belt is mounted, a shaft for one of said rolls mounted in bearings fixed in said main frame and constructed and arranged to drive said one roll, a frame carrying the other mentioned roll and pivotally mounted upon said shaft to permit a wide separation between said feed belt and said abrading tool, and readily detachable means for securing said frame positively with respect to said work-supporting means in an operative position wherein said feed belt can engage work on said work-supporting means and feed the work past said abrading tool, said securing means being constructed and arranged to provide for adjustment of the distance between said feed belt and said abrading tool to accommodate varying thicknesses of work.

6. A machine for bufiing articles of sheet ma-' terial comprising an abrading tool, a feed belt for advancing work with respect to said tool, a guide plate for supporting the work after its passage past said tool, and a presser roll constructed and arranged to cause said feed belt to press the work against said abrading tool and also against said guide plate.

'7. A machine for buiiing articles of sheet material comprising a rotary abrading tool, a feed belt for advancing work with respect to said tool, a pair of rolls about which said belt travels, and a presser roll constructed and arranged to cause said feed belt to press the work against said tool, said presser roll being positioned between the above-mentioned rolls and beyond the axis of said tool L1 the direction of feed of the work.

8. A machine for buffing articles of sheet material comprising an abrading tool, a feed belt for advancing work with respect to said tool, a guide plate for supporting the work in its passage past said tool, and an idler roll positioned to engage the work in its passage past said guide plate for holding the work against said feed belt to assist said feed belt in delivering the finished work.

9. A machine for buifing articles of sheet material comprising an abrading tool, means for feeding work past said abrading tool, a member constructed and arranged to receive the work which has been fed past said tool, and a stripper plate carried by said member and positioned between said member and said tool to engage the under surface of the work adjacent to the leading edge of the work, said member being adjustable toward and from said tool to permit adjustment of the clearance between said stripper plate and said tool.

10. An abrading machine comprising a driven roll, an abrading belt driven and supported by said driven roll, an idler roll supported by said belt, and means tending to urge said idler roll away from said driven roll for tensioning said abrading belt, said tensioning means being snapacting between tensioning and untensioning positions to facilitate replacement of said abrading belt.

11. An abrading machine comprising a driven roll, an abrading belt driven and supported by said driven roll, an idler roll supported by said belt, a shaft upon which said idler roll is mounted, a bearing surrounding each end of said shaft, and resilient means operable by engagement with said bearings to urge said shaft and said idler roll away from said driven roll, said resilient means being snap-acting for readily tensioning and untensioning said abrading belt to facilitate replacement of said abrading belt.

12. An abrading machine comprising a hollow frame, a roll extending crosswise of said frame, said frame being constructed and arranged to support both ends of said roll from one side of said frame, an abrading belt looped around said roll, a second roll within said abrading belt, and means for urging the second-mentioned roll away from the first-mentioned roll to tension said abrading belt, said tensioning means being readily detachable from the second-mentioned roll to facilitate removal of the latter upon renewal of the abrading belt.

13. An abrading machine comprising a hollow frame, a roll extending crosswise of said frame, an abrading belt looped over said roll, guiding means for said abrading belt, said frame being constructed and arranged to support both ends of said roll from one side of said frame and having an opening in its opposite side through which said belt may be removed and replaced upon renewal, and a cover plate for said opening constructed and arranged to afford additional support for said roll.

14. In an abrading machine, a hollow frame for housing an abrading belt, said frame being constructed and arranged to constitute a draft conduit and to support both ends of a roll for the belt from one side of said frame, said frame having an opening in its opposite side for the removal and replacement of the abrading belt, and closure means for said opening constructed and arranged to afford additional support for the r011.

15. An abrading machine comprising a driven roll, an idler roll, an abrading belt looped about said rolls for support and guidance, a support for said driven roll, a yoke positioned outside of and straddling said abrading belt, said yoke having a pair of arms constructed and arranged to support respectively the ends of said idler roll against movement toward said driven roll under the influence of tension in said abrading belt and said arms being freely separable from said roll upon release of tension in said abrading belt, and means for urging said yoke arms away from said driven roll to tension said abrading belt.

16. An abrading machine comprising a driven roll, an idler roll, an abrading belt looped about said rolls for support and guidance, a support for said driven roll, a yoke positioned outside or and straddling said abrading belt, said yoke having a pair of arms constructed and arranged to support respectively the ends of said idler roll against movement toward said driven roll under the influence of tension in said abrading belt and said arm being freely separable from said roll upon release of tension in said abrading belt, and spring means for urging said yoke arms away from said driven roll to tension said abrading belt, said spring means being readily releasable to slacken the tension in said abrading belt and thereby to enable said yoke arms to be separated from said idler roll to permit the replacement of the abrading belt.

17. An abrading machine comprising a driven roll, an idler roll, an abrading belt looped about said rolls for support and guidance, a support for said driven roll, a pair of bearings in which said idler roll is journaled, said bearings and said idler roll constituting a unitary structure, a. yoke positioned outside of and straddling said abrasive belt, said yoke having a pair of arms in the form of hooks having openings for receiving said bearings respectively and the openings in said hooks being directed away from said driven roll to enable said hooks to support said bearings against movement toward said driven roll under the influence of tension in said abrading belt, and means for urging said yoke arms away from said driven roll to tension said abrading belt.

18. A machine for buffing articles of sheet material comprising an abrading tool, a feed belt for advancing work with respect to said tool, a pair of rolls about which said belt travels, a guide plate for supporting the work after its passage past said tool, and a presser roll between the above-mentioned rolls constructed and arranged to cause said feed belt to press the work against said abrading tool and also against said guide plate.

RENE E. DUPLESSIS. 

